2017-04-02

World Today: 2017-04-02 Sunday

And yet on March 26th, 17 years to the day after Mr Putin was first
elected, tens of thousands of Russians took to the streets in nearly 100
cities to demonstrate against corruption, in the largest protests since
2012.The protests began in Vladivostok and rolled across the
country to Moscow and St Petersburg, which saw the largest crowds. Riot
police arrested more than 1,000 people in Moscow alone. ... The marches came in response to a call from Aleksei Navalny, an
opposition leader and anti-corruption campaigner who wants to run for
president next year. Despite the government’s crackdown on activism, Mr
Navalny has doggedly continued publishing exposés of corruption on
social networks and YouTube, and expanding his volunteer organisation.
His latest target is Dmitry Medvedev, the prime minister.

There will be more demonstrations this weekend in Russia, following protests last week that were the largest in five years.
As details emerge about the demonstrations and their organizers, a new
picture of Russian discontent is materializing. Unsurprisingly, the
Kremlin is choosing to respond with crackdowns rather than by addressing
the underlying issues causing the dissent. Last weekend's protests were organized by opposition heavyweight Alexei Navalny, who traveled through half a dozen Russian cities to promote his anti-corruption campaigns against Kremlin elites....

Both articles cite the broader geographic range of this year's protests as compared to previous years, the focus on corruption and economic issues, the role of social media, and the youth of the participants.

Africa / USA: Security issues likely to dominate Africa relations under Trump.Reed Kramer at AllAfrica: 'On 30 March, the Pentagon announced President Donald Trump's approval of revised combat rules
for U.S. forces fighting the Al Queada-affiliated Al Shabaab in
Somalia, reducing protections for civilians as the U.S. military launches an intensified assault in east Africa. Earlier this month, the White House announced a budget blueprint
that includes a $54 billion rise in overall military spending,
alongside deep cuts for the State Department and international
assistance.' Kramer also notes that White House National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster has chosen Rudolph Atallah to be the National Security Council's Senior Director for Africa.

Germany: Government probes suspected Turkish spy network. Patrick Poole at PJM reports that investigations into the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) reveal Turkish intelligence activities through Turkish-controlled mosques in Germany. German authorities have raided the homes of DTIB officials.